


We're Not So Different, You Know

by eadreytheiptscray



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Drift Compatibility, Drift Side Effects, Gen, The Drift (Pacific Rim), The Sludge Villain is Onibaba, U.A. High School (My Hero Academia)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 03:24:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17378666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eadreytheiptscray/pseuds/eadreytheiptscray
Summary: Midoriya Izuku and Bakugo Katsuki face off against villain bots in a combat simulator, using the Drift to react faster, anticipate attacks, and learn each other's movements. It sounds simple enough. But then they come face-to-face with Onibaba—the sludge villain determined to possess heroes with the strongest Quirks.





	We're Not So Different, You Know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Musewriter777](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musewriter777/gifts).



> This fic mostly follows season one canon and takes place sometime after that first season finale—I haven't gotten any further in the anime yet. It's going to happen soon, though! I hope you like my take on Drifting in the My Hero Academia sphere.

“Alright, folks, listen up!” Yamada Hizashi called over the chatter in the auditorium. All eyes turned toward center stage. A hush settled over the room. He waited a second longer for dramatic effect. “Today’s the day we’re putting your Drift Compatibility to the test.”

Excited whispers rippled through the crowd of first-year U.A. High School students again. After long hours spent reading up on the Drifting process, poring over Jaeger Bushido techniques, sparring in the Kwoon Combat Room, and taking the Drift Compatibility test itself, they were eager to pair up with their partners. After all, Pro Hero team-ups were much more effective against the villains of the hour.

Midoriya Izuku leaned forward eagerly, taking in everything Present Mic was saying. _This is it. A chance to prove that I can be a great hero. I wonder who my Drift partner will be..._

“Take a look at the combat simulation schedule on your screen.” The students fell silent again as they read over the list. “Okay, you know your partner, you know your simulator time… now who’s ready to Drift?” Yamada beamed at the energetic response. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Midoriya stayed put as his peers filed out of the auditorium. His hunch was right: On the schedule, bright and early the next morning, he and Bakugo Katsuki would be taking on villain bots in the simulator. Midoriya glanced up at Kacchan—and immediately wished he hadn’t. The fiery glare told him what was going through Kacchan’s mind. _Oh, no, this is off to a bad start._

But he never let anything stop him before. Not being Quirk-less. Not being unable to control One For All. Teaming up with a rival would be no different. So the next morning, he got up at 7 a.m., ate a big breakfast, and arrived at the simulator half an hour early. Kacchan sauntered in three minutes before their 9 a.m. start time, still wiping sleep out of his eyes. He was wearing his hero costume; Midoriya was in his PE uniform.

They didn’t meet each other’s eyes. Instead, they watched the previous Drift pair step shakily out of the simulator. Uraraka Ochako raced for the bathroom; Iida Tenya was pale as a ghost.

Midoriya shuddered, and he noticed that even Kacchan seemed wary. _Is the simulator really that bad?_ Reluctantly, they stepped into the eerily silent and cavernous room. It looked like a giant steel box. Large gray panels covered the walls and ceiling, no doubt there to protect the students as they fired everything they had at the villain bots.

Their eyes found two stark-white helmets sitting on retractable shelves embedded in the walls.

“Alright, Katsuki, Izuku, here’s the deal,” a lab tech piped up behind them. He ignored their startled yelps. He read through a stack of paper tacked to his clipboard—procedures, rules, expectations. “The simulator is going to test your Drift Compatibility through a mock battle. What’ll happen first is the Neural Handshake: A mind meld so you and your partner can react faster, study each other’s movements, and anticipate attacks.”

_Sounds simple enough_ , Midoriya thought, clutching the helmet in his hands. It looked harmless—like part of a hero’s costume. _I wonder why the other partners thought the Drift was so grueling?_

“Put those on so we can start the Neural Handshake.”

They did so. “This helmet smells like feet,” Kacchan muttered, his voice muted through the visor.

The tech continued unperturbed. “After the Drift, you’ll face off against four villain bots. You may remember these from your U.A. entrance exam, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. Oh, and one more thing,” he said before closing the door. “We’ve noticed that the Drift dredges up, um, unpleasant memories.”

“What?!” Kacchan shouted. If Midoriya didn’t know any better, he would’ve said smoke was pouring out of his rival’s ears.

“Don’t worry!” The tech plastered on a reassuring smile. “Just don’t chase the memories, and you’ll be OK. Good luck!” And with that, Midoriya and Kacchan were swallowed in darkness.

“Oh, great,” Kacchan muttered. “I’m locked in a room with Deku and about to have my brain scrambled. Could this day get any worse?” A grunt from Midoriya’s left told him that Kacchan was trying to force the simulator door open.

“Stop messing with it,” Midoriya said. “It’ll be over soon enough.”

Above them, they heard a robotic voice starting a countdown: “Drift sequence initiating in ten, nine, eight…”

“Get me out of here,” Kacchan yelled, banging on the metal door.

_Doesn’t he want to pass this class? Pro Heroes all have to do this,_  Midoriya thought. “Kacchan, calm down. Just close your eyes—”

“Five, four, three—”

“I said LET ME OUT!”

“One… Drift sequence initiated.”

No one told Midoriya that the Drift would feel like getting sucked into a whirlpool. The air left his lungs as he plunged into what could only be his and Kacchan’s memories: There’s the pond they played near as children, the schoolyard where Midoriya stood up for his classmate— _that must be from Kacchan’s perspective_ , Midoriya thought—the doctor’s office where Midoriya learned he was Quirk-less.

Midoriya found his breath and focused on the silence. In a few seconds, he broke the surface of the memory current. In the dim light of the combat simulator, four villain bots waited on the other side of the room. But Kacchan was still drowning in the flood.

“Kacchan, focus! They’re just memories!”

But he felt like Kacchan was slipping below the surface. In the back of his mind, Midoriya envisioned Tatooin Shopping District on a clear spring day. Cherry blossoms drifted in the late afternoon breeze. The smell of smoke caught his attention.

“We’re at U.A. High School in the combat simulator, remember?" He told Kacchan. "That was a long time ago.”

No use. Kacchan was being pulled down, down, down. He was going to drown in the memories. Gritting his teeth, Midoriya dove after him, leaving the simulation room behind him.

_It’s dark, it’s so dark, I can’t breathe, what’s happening—_

_Kacchan!_ Here in the flood of memories, in Driftspace, Midoriya didn’t need to yell out. His thoughts were loud enough, echoing through the depths. Somehow, Midoriya got the feeling that this place was like the ocean. The deeper into his memories Kacchan fell, the more likely he was never to emerge again. Midoriya kept diving.

A sinister presence was waiting for him.

_Yes… this one will make a great host…_

_No, wait, what are you—_

_Kacchan!_ Midoriya would recognize that menacing voice anywhere. _No, not again. This is all my fault… Kacchan!_

A muffled scream answered him. Midoriya kept diving—and found himself face-to-face with Onibaba.

The sludge villain had pulled his name from folklore: Onibaba, the Demon Hag, but only in spirit. In reality, he preyed upon all helpless passersby, possessing their bodies to take advantage of their Quirks. He’d first attacked Midoriya—he’d gotten away. Then Kacchan—he almost didn’t.

_I thought I’d die after a few seconds_ , Midoriya thought, echoing his words from that fateful day. Only he wasn’t remembering them; he was living them.

He found himself in Tatooin Shopping District again, staring helplessly at the sludge villain surrounded by a wall of fire. Only he wasn’t standing on the outskirts of the crowd. He was in the middle of the inferno.

“It’s taken someone hostage!” One of the Pro Heroes, Death Arms, shouted over the din—panicked screams, shattering glass, crackling flames. He rushed in to help, only to be knocked back by Onibaba.

_I’m… I’m watching this from Kacchan’s perspective_ , Midoriya realized. _I never saw any of this._

“Stay back or I’ll snap his neck!” The villain hissed.

“You picked the wrong guy to mess with.” Kacchan. “I’ll send you back to whatever sewer you crawled out of. LET ME GO!”

Midoriya froze as he heard Onibaba’s thoughts leak through Kacchan’s mind: _You’ve got so much power… I really hit the jackpot. With a Quirk like yours under my control, I can take All Might down with one punch!_

And then the sludge engulfed Kacchan again. Midoriya blinked, and he was standing at the other end of the street, behind the crowd of spectators. There was All Might in his frail form to his right. He couldn’t power up, not yet. He didn’t have the energy. _And it’s all my fault._

In the midst of the inferno, a shock of blonde hair peeked out from Onibaba’s shapeless form.

_Kacchan!_

Midoriya glanced to his right. Any minute now, All Might would power up. He would save the day, just like he always did. He would save Kacchan from this… this thing. Right?

Midoriya watched helplessly as Kacchan struggled in Onibaba’s grasp. And then he was staring at the crowd again, his chest tight, all the air sucked out of his lungs— _I’m in Kacchan’s head._

_I can’t breathe, someone get me out of here—_

_Hold on, Kacchan, this is just a memory! You have to snap out of it!_

_Deku?_

Midoriya watched in shock from Kacchan's eyes as he saw himself dash through the crowd. There was fear in his own eyes, but his feet carried him toward Onibaba anyway.

_Deku, what are you doing?!_

Midoriya saw his younger self dodge Onibaba’s attack and sling his bag toward the villain’s face. Shocked, Onibaba relinquished his grip on Kacchan for just a second—

_Kacchan, listen to me!_

Finally, he did. _Deku, what are you doing in my head?_

_Kacchan, this is just a memory! We’re in the simulator back at U.A. This is a test… you have to snap out of it._

_How?_

_Any minute, All Might is going to step in and save the day, just like he did then—_

But nothing happened. Onibaba seized his chance, engulfing Kacchan once again.

Midoriya was back in his own body again. _Kacchan!_ He tore furiously through the sludge in vain, trying desperately to save his childhood friend. Rival. Whatever they were now that they were in each other’s heads.

_He’s going to die… he’s going to die, and it will be my fault…_ Midoriya clenched his fist and felt power surge through him.  _Wait. This memory is taking on a life of its own. And I’m not the same helpless kid I was then. I’m a hero… I have One For All…_

Midoriya stepped back. Hesitated. _If I break my body here, I’ll be OK in reality, right?_ A sinking feeling didn’t fill him with confidence. He shook his head. _I can’t think about what could happen. I’ve got to get us out of here. Here we go…_

Recalling All Might’s heroic rescue, Midoriya braced himself. He raised his arm—and blocked Onibaba's attack. But sludge started creeping up his arm. _It’s now or never._

_Kacchan, on my signal, grab my arm and don’t let go. I’m getting us out of here._

_Deku, what the—?_

But he wasn’t listening. He had milliseconds to act. Onibaba’s arm was already coming down for a critical blow. Midoriya lashed out and grabbed onto Kacchan’s arm. He felt his right arm heat up as One For All surged through it.

“Detroit… SMASH!” He shouted, closing his eyes. A rush of air hit him in the face as his fist made contact. But instead of decimating Onibaba, the sludge villain skidded back into the shopping plaza. It didn’t matter—Kacchan was free.

_Kacchan, you still with me?_  Midoriya clutched his useless arm at his side.

Kacchan coughed, spitting up sludge. He wiped his mouth and nodded once. Flames burned behind his eyes. _Let’s finish this._

Midoriya nodded back. _You got it._

Together, they rounded on Onibaba. And something clicked. As Midoriya anticipated the villain’s moves, Kacchan acted on them a split-second later. Where Onibaba wound up for an overhead attack, Kacchan rolled out of the way. Where Onibaba lashed out, threatening to draw Midoriya in, Kacchan grabbed Midoriya’s good arm and propelled them both out of the way.

But the real triumph, one they only realized days later, was the instantaneous decision to attack together. With Onibaba weakened, Kacchan retreated from the fight, but only for a moment. Propelled by his grenade gauntlets, he sprinted toward Midoriya, who planted his feet and launched Kacchan high in the air with his good hand. Kacchan came down as a ball of pure rage and flame, right on top of Onibaba, sending a blast of hot air in all directions.

When the dust settled, it was only Kacchan left in the center of the charred street. Breathing heavily, but alive. As he stood and brushed himself off, Midoriya couldn’t help but stare slack-jawed.

_You look like a fish_ , Kacchan said.

Midoriya grinned. Then it dawned on him that they were still in the Driftspace, still drowning in each other’s memories.

_We’ve got to get out of here._

_How?_

_Think about what the tech said—we can’t chase the memory. The Drift is silence._

_What a bunch of bull—_

_Listen to me, Kacchan, we’re both in danger. Onibaba may be gone, but we’re still falling in Driftspace. We have to get out of here. Now focus._

Midoriya closed his eyes. Somehow he knew Kacchan was doing the same—even if he thought the whole idea was stupid. But it worked. They felt themselves floating up, up, up.

When they opened their eyes again, they blinked in the dim light of the simulator. They were unharmed. Still standing. Whatever they had endured in Driftspace obviously hadn't translated to the simulator, at least fully—there were scorch marks on the walls, and Midoriya's right arm tingled.

Those villain bots, the same ones Midoriya thought impossible to take down during his entrance exam, were still lurking at the other end of the room. Kacchan and Midoriya took them down in seconds.

_How long has it been since we stepped in here?_ Midoriya thought, rolling out his right shoulder. Amazingly, he hadn’t even needed to break himself to finish the villain bots off.

_Beats me_ , Kacchan answered through the Drift. He blinked. _Did I just…?_

Midoriya nodded. _We’re still in each other's heads._

It didn’t last long. Like waves receding out of a tide pool, their memories, thoughts, and instincts ebbed away when the Neural Handshake disengaged. Midoriya felt exposed, alone. Somehow he knew the feeling was mutual.

“Congratulations!” The lab tech shouted, throwing open the door. Midoriya and Kacchan jumped once again. “You passed the test! A little unorthodox, to say the least, but you passed it all the same. Alright, report back to the auditorium tomorrow to get your results.”

_That’s it?_ Midoriya thought, looking to Kacchan for a reaction. _That’s right, he’s not in my head anymore._  Apparently, it had only been an hour since they stepped into the combat simulator—a glance at the clock in the hallway told him that—but it had felt like a lifetime that they were in each other’s heads. The silence in his mind was deafening.

The Drift had apparently messed with Kacchan, too. Instead of stalking off back to his dorm or to join his friends, he hesitated. Midoriya thought he saw Kacchan's eyes flick toward him before he turned his gaze to the window. Squaring his shoulders, Midoriya joined him.

“Are we going to talk about what happened?” He asked Kacchan.

“Talk about what?” He asked gruffly. But Midoriya could sense something behind his faraway gaze.

“We were just in each other’s heads. I felt what you felt. We went through the same trauma.”  _And judging from our fight in the Drift, we both had something to prove to ourselves._

“So? It doesn’t make us friends or whatever.”

“I know. But we can’t just walk away from something like that.”

Kacchan didn’t answer for a few minutes. For some reason, Midoriya figured he needed fresh air. They turned down the hallway at the same time, stepping out of the double doors and onto the campus grounds. The sunshine felt refreshing after spending so much time in murky memories.

Neither decided to step off the brick path. Instead, they wandered to the outskirts of campus, stopping in the shade of a giant tree. It was clear from Kacchan's faraway gaze that he was still thinking about the Onibaba attack.

“Maybe we're more Drift Compatible than I thought,” he eventually said.

"We're not all that different," Midoriya agreed. And they sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the afternoon.


End file.
